The Manzanares () is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

in the centre of the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

, which flows from the Sierra de Guadarrama, passes through

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, and eventually empties into the Jarama river, which in turn is a right-bank tributary to the

Tagus The Tagus ( ; ; ) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales between Cuenca and Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally westward, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon. Name T ...

. In its urban section, the Manzanares River was modified to create a section of water several meters deep, in some parts navigable by canoes. This project of channeling and damming has been partially reversed in a re-naturalization project.

Hydronym

The name of Manzanares was in use already in the 16th century, although up until the 17th century alternative names such as Guadarrama, Henarejos, and Jarama were used. It was widely popularised by the height of the 18th century. The origin of the name for the river and the village of the same name through which it flows (founded not earlier than the 13th century) is moot.

Course

Sources

The Manzanares has its sources in the southern slope of the , a branch of the Sierra de Guadarrama (the main eastern section of the

Sistema Central The Central System, Spanish language, Spanish and , is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in the Iberian Peninsula. The 2,592 m high Pico Almanzor is its highest summit. The Central System is located just north of the 40th parallel north, ...

), in the municipality of Manzanares el Real, in the

Madrid region The Community of Madrid (; ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities and 50 provinces of Spain, provinces of Spain. It is located at the heart of the Iberian Peninsula and Meseta Central, Central Plateau (); its capital and largest munici ...

. It is formally called Manzanares after the confluence of the Arroyo de la Condesa and the Arroyo de Valdemartín. The Arroyo de la Condesa is in turn born in the , a traditionally resilient snowdrift, and its watershed comprises the slopes in between La Maliciosa (2,227 m), the Alto de las Guarramillas—aka the Bola del Mundo (2,258 m)—and the (2,282 m). The Arroyo de Valdemartín's watershed spans from the Alto de Valdemartín to the Cabeza de Hierro Menor (2,373 m).

Upper course

The upper river basin is protected as the '' Parque Regional de la Cuenca Alta del Manzanares'', a nature reserve which is recognised as a

biosphere reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

. The Manzanares flows in a south-eastern direction from its sources and passes through the medieval town of Manzanares el Real where it is dammed to form the Santillana reservoir, one of the most important water supplies for the capital. The river then takes a southern direction and enters the Monte de El Pardo, an ecologically valuable area on the edge of Madrid.

Urban course

The river was canalised where it passes through the built-up areas of the city. In the 21st century the river was restored to provide biodiversity and facilities for Madrid residents. The Manzanares skims past the westernmost part of the city and further downstream serves as a dividing line between the old centre of the city and the

Carabanchel Carabanchel is a district of Madrid, Spain. It lies on the southern (right) bank of the Manzanares, spanning southward down to the M-40 ring road. The district is made up of the neighbourhoods of Abrantes, Comillas, Opañel, Puerta Bonita, S ...

and Usera neighbourhoods to the southwest. It is along this stretch that it passes next to

Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...

's former football ground, the Vicente Calderón. The river leaves the city at its southernmost tip.

Lower course

Desembocadura del Manzanares en el Jarama

It makes a strong eastern turn which takes it past the village of Perales del Río. It empties into the Jarama within the municipal limits of Rivas Vaciamadrid.

Historical importance

The river Manzanares, although small and relatively unimportant geographically, has had a great historical importance due to its close relation to the city of Madrid, which was founded by the

Moors The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a s ...

as a citadel overlooking the river in the ninth century. The river is also featured in many paintings of the late 18th to early 19th-century painter Francisco de Goya, which show traditionally dressed ''Madrileños'' in activities like dancing or having picnics next to the river. The Manzanares was also an important defence line for the Republican forces during the

Siege of Madrid The siege of Madrid was a two-and-a-half-year siege of the Second Spanish Republic, Republican-controlled Spain, Spanish capital city of Madrid by the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist armies, under General Francisco Franco, ...

in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

, and many bunkers can still be seen near the village of Perales del Río. The Bridge of the French was of crucial importance because of its strategic location. There, nationalist forces were repeatedly repelled and denied access to Madrid’s city centre.See:

Coronel Carlos Romero Giménez Coronel may refer to: * Archaic and Spanish variant of colonel * Coronel, Chile, a port city in Chile * Battle of Coronel off the Chilean coast during World War I * The World War II German auxiliary cruiser HSK ''Coronel'', see German night fighte ...

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Manzanares (River) Rivers of Spain Geography of Madrid Tributaries of the Jarama Rivers of the Community of Madrid Water supply and sanitation in Madrid